on my 81 300d. my tranny seems to be shifting a little hard. i checked the system for leaks and couldnt find any. i came across this article on diesel giant http://dieselgiant.com/trannyleverreplace.htm

i know i have the box on the top of my valve cover, i do not want to take it apart and risk breaking it if i do not have these levers. has anyone done this in the past?

is there anywhere else i should check for hard shifting? the vaccum lines tested ok when i did. doesnt mean i did it right.... ive also changed tranny fluid and filter(just as routine service not to fix hard shifting).

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95 E320 24k
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1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


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Probably not those levers on the cam cover, mine are disconnected. Check to make sure your vac pump is within specs, and your VCV is working too.
Could be a bowden cable adjust, if you have one on an '81.

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83 SD

84 CD

i pulled my cover off, and the levers look ok. the vaccum hoses are dry rotted, after changing all the hoses on my car, im all out. i changed 2 of the 6, i think there are 6. i will check tomorrow if that works. if it doesnt i will try to adjust the bowden cable.

i have never done tranny work before. is it hard to adjust this cable?

__________________
95 E320 24k
07 E550 4matic 20k Soon to go
1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


Non MBs

02 Ford F250 Lariat 4 Quad Cab 7.3 Diesel 95k
01 Chevy Suburban 249K LT 5.3 V8
88 Saab SPG Convertible 32k
06 Lincoln Mark LT 59k
62 VW Bug
52 Bentley Mark IV
53 GMC half Ton Pickup
08 VW Beetle convertible 2k
07 bmw x5 4.8i 17k
03 bmw x5 4.4i 40k
08 Range Rover S 9K

Block the vacuum lines going to/from the valve cover.

the more im searching on this forum, the more i learn.

i am new to diesels and i noticed that the tranny DOES shift better once the car warms up. so where do i check now?

__________________
95 E320 24k
07 E550 4matic 20k Soon to go
1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


Non MBs

02 Ford F250 Lariat 4 Quad Cab 7.3 Diesel 95k
01 Chevy Suburban 249K LT 5.3 V8
88 Saab SPG Convertible 32k
06 Lincoln Mark LT 59k
62 VW Bug
52 Bentley Mark IV
53 GMC half Ton Pickup
08 VW Beetle convertible 2k
07 bmw x5 4.8i 17k
03 bmw x5 4.4i 40k
08 Range Rover S 9K

Do you recall which year was the change to the Bowden cable and the lack of any shifting via vacuum?


'81 is close to that point...........does the '81 have the Bowden cable?

i dont know much about trannys.... i dont know if i have a bowden cable.
like i said i just drove it and it is only when the car is "cold" it is 45 degrees out. after 5 minutes or so, it gets better. the car is still unregistered, as i am doing work to it still. i used a dealer plate to go on a 200 mile round trip and it drove fine after the first 5 minutes.

i just changed the tranny fluid. level is good. i do not know if it is a vaccum leak. or ive been reading some people have fixed this by using synthetic fluid?

__________________
95 E320 24k
07 E550 4matic 20k Soon to go
1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


Non MBs

02 Ford F250 Lariat 4 Quad Cab 7.3 Diesel 95k
01 Chevy Suburban 249K LT 5.3 V8
88 Saab SPG Convertible 32k
06 Lincoln Mark LT 59k
62 VW Bug
52 Bentley Mark IV
53 GMC half Ton Pickup
08 VW Beetle convertible 2k
07 bmw x5 4.8i 17k
03 bmw x5 4.4i 40k
08 Range Rover S 9K

The OP does not have a 240D.

Didn't the early 300's also use vacuum to control the shift points..........??

I'm sure the Bowden cable wasn't on the early 300's but I can't remember the year.

The Bowden cable would be located on the cam cover, an accordion looking thing connected to a cable, that leads down on the passenger side to the transmission.

Synthetic fluid may help, but you just changed it out, up to you.

Sometimes the tranny temp makes a bit of a difference in shifting.

Brian explained to me how to check the VCV, I can't remember how.

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83 SD

84 CD

VCV= good.
I called a reliable shop where i used to live in FLA, a mechanic i trust. he said that i am "blessed" that just shows that the tranny is bullet proof and working well. as long as it operates fine and goes into gears with no slipage, it is good. and dont mess with it.

I figured i will still run diesel purge through it anyways, i doubt it will have any affect, however the car has sat for 2+ years before i just bought it. i read in an old thread here that a dirty injector could cause me to push the throttle pedal harder, thus causing the shift issues.

if it doesnt work, at least i will have purged the system.

__________________
95 E320 24k
07 E550 4matic 20k Soon to go
1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


Non MBs

02 Ford F250 Lariat 4 Quad Cab 7.3 Diesel 95k
01 Chevy Suburban 249K LT 5.3 V8
88 Saab SPG Convertible 32k
06 Lincoln Mark LT 59k
62 VW Bug
52 Bentley Mark IV
53 GMC half Ton Pickup
08 VW Beetle convertible 2k
07 bmw x5 4.8i 17k
03 bmw x5 4.4i 40k
08 Range Rover S 9K

A purge can't hurt, especially after sitting for some time, check for critters in the fuel. Once you replace the filters after the purge, keep an eye on the primary filter.

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83 SD

84 CD

I believe that none of the 300D non-turbos had a Bowden cable.

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